RCPS Dyslexia Screening Implementation Plan for Parents
Understanding Georgia’s Senate Bill 48
• What is Senate Bill 48 (S.B. 48)?
• Per Senate Bill 48, beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, the State School Superintendent, Mr. Richard Woods, established a three-year pilot program to demonstrate and evaluate the effectiveness of early reading assistance programs for students with risk factors of dyslexia.
• Senate Bill 48 requires local school systems to begin screening all kindergarten students and certain students in grades 1-3 for characteristics of dyslexia starting 2024-2025 school year.
• Rockdale County Public Schools will implement procedures and guidelines to support teachers with the identification of students with characteristics of dyslexia and the provision of professional learning opportunities to learn appropriate instructional strategies needed to improve reading achievement.
Understanding Dyslexia
• What is Dyslexia?
The Georgia Department of the Education uses the definition of dyslexia adopted by the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) which states: “Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.”
Screening and Identification
• Who is Screened?
• Once a year in the fall, Rockdale County Public Schools will screen all kindergarten students and grades 1–3 students are screened using a state-approved Universal Dyslexia Screener STAR CBM.
• The screening process helps identify students at risk for reading difficulties including characteristics of dyslexia.
• How Does It Work?
• Renaissance Star CBM Reading is administered one-on-one and brief measures of letter naming, letter sounds, passage oral reading, phoneme segmentation, receptive and expressive nonsense word reading, rapid automatic naming, and passage oral reading, all of which relate directly to the latest research in early literacy assessment of students.
• If a student shows signs of characteristics of dyslexia, they receive additional support.
• Parents will be notified of the screening reports and the targeted additional support for the student.
Supporting Students with Characteristics of Dyslexia in Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS)
Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) will
• implement a process to assess students’ level of reading proficiency three times a year through our Universal Reading Screener STAR Early Literacy and STAR Reading,
• establish criteria and procedures to identify students with characteristics of dyslexia once a year in the fall through our Universal Dyslexia Screener STAR CBM,
• notify and involve parents and
• provide appropriate instruction and intervention to students who do not meet grade level reading expectations.
This plan is a systematic approach to provide every student with evidence-based literacy instruction by determining instructional need through screening and providing professional learning to staff.
Our goal is to have every student able to read at or above grade level by the end of grade 3. This plan supports our district’s Mission and Vision and promotes a solid foundation of literacy skill development among all students to ensure they are college and career ready by graduation. Our district’s Superintendent, Dr. Terry Oatts, also developed Strategic Priorities that guide all students to receive high-quality instruction based on their individual needs, including those with characteristics of dyslexia.
Family Engagement
• How Can Parents Get Involved?
• Stay informed: Learn about dyslexia and the school’s implementation plan.
• Attend workshops and meetings: Participate in sessions that provide information and strategies related to dyslexia.
• Advocate for your child: Collaborate with teachers and administrators to ensure your child’s needs are met.
Documents and Resources
Dyslexia-Resource-Guide-for-Georgia-Families (PDF)
Dyslexia information from the Georgia Department of Education (gadoe.org)
Dyslexia Basics - International Dyslexia Association (dyslexiaida.org)
IDA Dyslexia Handbook.pdf - Google Drive
TedTalk: What is Dyslexia?
Cox Campus for Families
Literacy at Home | Reading Rockets
Supporting-Your-Child-Literacy-Development-at-Home.pdf (improvingliteracy.org)
Frequently Asked Questions - International Dyslexia Association (dyslexiaida.org)